Kevin Love’s on the way. So whom will LeBron James be able to recruit to Cleveland next?
Shawn Marion could be the next veteran to join the four-time MVP and sacrifice salary in hopes of chasing a championship with the Cavaliers, but Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird is putting up a fight.
Though the Cavaliers are considered the front-runner to sign the four-time All-Star, Marion visited Indiana on Monday, meeting a team in desperate need of making additions after the gruesome leg injury suffered by Paul George with Team USA, which will keep him out next season.
Cleveland only can offer Marion a minimum salary of $1.4 million, while the Pacers will be granted a $5.3 million disabled player exception due to George’s injury.
“What I came away with was he’s undecided with where he wants to play and what he wants to do,” Bird said Tuesday, according to the Chicago Tribune. “But he does want to play for a contender.”
Marion, a 15-year veteran who spent the past five seasons with the Mavericks, was a key component on Dallas’ title-winner in 2011.
Ray Allen, who previously teamed with James in Miami, is another veteran on the Cavaliers’ radar.